Wednesday, October 28, 2015

sketch of the day... on fabric

flower sketch  10"X 8"
It's not very seasonal but it was a sketch of the day, done with portfolio paint sticks on fabric.
Recently I led a workshop for my friends using paint sticks and texture sheets on fabric. One of the exercises was to draw orbs free hand blending colors. The next exercise was to draw a simple flower shape, to see how to control stretch of fabric while drawing straight lines. Then they were to start drawing their own compositions.

A friend gave me a little scrap of the striped fabric, when I got home I saw how my little demo piece looked on it. In order to keep the stripes going I had to do some fussy cutting and stitching.
I wanted to do some quick simple quilting. I started with couching the metallic fuzzy pink around the image. Then stitched repetitive lines with pink then red, rayon threads. I finished by stitching the border lines with sulky hologram metallic hot pink.

You can still see the texture plate through the stitching.




When you teach a technique, you end up with a lot of samples, and unfinished bits and pieces. Often they get thrown away. With my goal of a sketch a day this month, I was happy to turn this into a finished quilt.

Is it a plumeria? A poinsettia? I don't worry myself with reality. It's a flower, bright and pretty. I like the blue and green done on fern texture sheets giving the flower a place to rest.




 It was fast to paint, I'd say 5-10 minutes. It was fast to quilt, I'd say less than an hour. I bound it with black, done on machine.
I have no idea what to do with it but it was lovely to work on, and I like that the border fabric was a scrap given to me by a friend.
I have learned so much about drawing this month. I am no longer unnverved by a blank white page. I start making marks, add to them, move fast, enjoy seeing an image develop. I have turned three of my sketches into quilts so far this month, and will share the others soon.

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

I think it looks fantastic! I would love to learn more.

Joanne said...

Hi LeeAnna!
This flower looks great!
Is there a way to hang all these gorgeous small quilts together (safetly pins or clips of some sort or big loopy stiches) then hang it as one on a wall? A quilt collage? rustic modern!
Take care,
Joanne

Joanne said...

Hi LeeAnna!
This flower looks great!
Is there a way to hang all these gorgeous small quilts together (safetly pins or clips of some sort or big loopy stiches) then hang it as one on a wall? A quilt collage? rustic modern!
Take care,
Joanne

easyweimaraner said...

It's great and if it is a poinsetta, then it is the best :o)

Mary in Boulder said...

Are you using the Portfolio water soluble oil pastels? I like this cheery flower very much!

LA Paylor said...

yes, there are two brands I use that don't smell, portfolio that blend well, and pentel.

gayle said...

Your sketching has been really interesting to watch. I still have trouble picturing you as being unnerved by a blank piece of paper - your creativity always seems to be positively overflowing. 8)
Getting a lovely little quilt out of your playing is such a bonus!

Jasmine said...

So pretty! I love the texture and depth this has.

magistra said...

It's beautiful. The black frames it well and does its magic with the happy bright colors. Matching the stripes makes a much more polished look. To me that really gives it symmetry and is well worth the effort. I think it really would be lovely hanging anywhere in a house :)

legato1958 said...

Really pretty! I love the textures!
Susie

Gwyned Trefethen said...

Love how the shapes and textures mirror each other drawing the eye both out and in. I agree that placing the flower on a background of barely there tropical leaves was a great design choice. Excellent contrast of hot and cool colors.

Snowcatcher said...

That turned out great! I can't wait to get to a real computer so I can see the stitch detail!

Lynette said...

Very eye-catching!

JanineMarie said...

I really like the amount of detail in what looks to me like a pretty tiny piece. Your process of developing it from a sketch to a finished quilt is fascinating to me. I would never have thought that you would be intimidated by a piece of paper, because is seems you are always willing to take risks and see where a project leads you.

Kris said...

Very cool and dramatic!

Kaja said...

Fantastic. I am full of admiration for your drawing, so it's cool to see you turning it into quilts too.

Muv said...

Lovely bold red, LeeAnna! It is always interesting seeing projects that evolved, the spontaneity really shows through.

Thank you for linking up with Free Motion Mavericks!

Love, Muv